שקמה

Hebrew

שקמה

Alternative forms

• שִׁיקְמָה (šiqmā́)

Etymology

According to Watkins, perhaps a derivation (or a folk-etymological alteration of a word borrowed from the same source) from the root *qāma (“to stand”), see also קָם (kam), Ge'ez ቆመ (ḳomä), Classical Syriac ܩܳܡ, Ugaritic 𐎖𐎎 (qm). However, compare the cognates listed at Ancient Greek σῦκον (sûkon).

Noun

שִׁקְמָה • (šiqmā́) f (plural indefinite שִׁקְמִים, singular construct שִׁקְמַת־, plural construct שִׁקְמֵי־)

1. sycamore fig, a tree of the species Ficus sycomorus
   • Tanach, Amos 7:14, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיַּ֤עַן עָמוֹס֙ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֶל־אֲמַצְיָ֔ה לֹא־נָבִ֣יא אָנֹ֔כִי וְלֹ֥א בֶן־נָבִ֖יא אָנֹ֑כִי כִּי־בוֹקֵ֥ר אָנֹ֖כִי וּבוֹלֵ֥ס שִׁקְמִֽים׃

     Way-yáʿan ʿAmōs way-yṓmer el Ămaṣyā, lō navī ānōḵī wə-lō ven navī ānōḵī kī vōqēr ānōḵī u-vōlēs šiqmīm.

     Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah: ‘I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdman, and a dresser of sycamore-trees.

   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Bava Batra 5:6:

     שְׁחַמְתִּית וְנִמְצֵאת לְבָנָה, לְבָנָה וְנִמְצֵאת שְׁחַמְתִּית, עֵצִים שֶׁל זַיִת וְנִמְצְאוּ שֶׁל שִׁקְמָה, שֶׁל שִׁקְמָה וְנִמְצְאוּ שֶׁל זַיִת, יַיִן וְנִמְצָא חֹמֶץ, חֹמֶץ וְנִמְצָא יַיִן, שְׁנֵיהֶם יְכוֹלִין לַחֲזֹר בָּהֶן:

     Šəḥamtīṯ wə-nimṣēṯ ləvānā, ləvānā wə-nimṣēṯ šəḥamtīṯ, ʿēṣīm šel záyiṯ wə-nimṣəʾū šel šiqmā, šel šiqmā wə-nimṣəʾū šel záyiṯ, yáyin wə-nimṣā ḥṓmeṣ, ḥṓmeṣ wə-nimṣā yáyin, šnēhem yəḵōlīn laḥăzōr bāhen.

     (If one was sold) red wheat and found white wheat, white wheat and found red wheat, wood of an olive tree and found that of a sycamore tree, that of a sycamore tree and found that of an olive tree, wine and found vinegar, vinegar and found wine, either one can recall the sale.

   • a. 500 C.E., Babylonian Talmud, Ta'anit 29b:

     הַלּוֹקֵחַ אִילָן מֵחֲבֵרוֹ לָקוּץ מַגְבִּיהוֹ מִן הַקַּרְקַע טֶפַח וְקוֹצֵץ בְּסַדָּן הַשִּׁקְמָה שְׁנֵי טְפָחִים בִּבְתוּלַת הַשִּׁקְמָה שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים

     Hal-lōqḗaḥ īlān mē-ḥăvērō lāqūṣ maḡbīhō min haq-qarqaʿ ṭéfaḥ wə-qōṣēṣ, bə-saddān haš-šiqmā šnē ṭəfāḥīm, bi-vṯūlaṯ haš-šiqmā šəlōšā ṭəfāḥīm.

     One who purchases a tree from a fellow to cut it down must raise his ax a handbreadth and chop there. In the case of a sycamore trunk, two handbreadths. In the case of an untrimmed sycamore, three handbreadths.

Descendants

• → Aramaic:

  Jewish Palestinian Aramaic: שׁיקמא, שׁקמא, שׁוקמא

  Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: שִׁקְמָא (šiqmā)

  Christian Palestinian Aramaic: ܫܘܩܡܐ

  Classical Syriac: ܫܷܩܡܳܐ (šeqmā)

  Nabataean: 𐢝𐢚𐢓𐢀 (šVqmā)

  • → Arabic: سَوْقَم (sawqam), سَقُوم (saqūm) — Algeria

Further reading

• שקמה on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^he

Anagrams

• משקה